China’s television censors have issued guidelines today banning internet slang from television and advertisements.
In the directive issued by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT), using homonyms to distort words’ original meanings, misuse of loanwords, and using internet slang are now forbidden because they do not comply with the National Common Language Law and regulations on broadcasting. Apparently, colloqualisms “deviate from the spirit of inheriting and promoting Chinese traditional culture” and “will mislead minors.”
Chinese internet slangs these days are not limited to Chinglish like no zuo no die or useful abbreviations such as ren jian bu chai (人艰不拆, short for “some lies are better not exposed, as life is already so hard”).
The former president Jiang Zeming himself inspired popular slang phrase tu yang tu sen po (图样图森破, too young too simple), after netizens found a footage of him unleashing a tirade including the English words “too young, too simple, sometimes naive” at a Hong Kong reporter who asked him if Beijing had issued an “imperial order” to support Tung Chee-hwa in his bid to seek a second term as Chief Executive.
("too young" at 01:05, "too simple, sometimes naive" at 02:30)
State censors have been keeping themselves quite busy over the years to ensure the “spiritual health” of Chinese citizens, by clamping down things from time travel on television to extramarital affairs and one-night-stands on web series. After banning the latest Hunger Games movie, the administration is now considering banning smoking scenes in film and television.
Loathed by many in China, the SAPPRFT (广电总局, guǎng diàn zǒng jú) is commonly referred to as 光腚肿菊 (guāngdìng zhǒng jú, literally meaning bare-bottom-swollen-anus). We're pretty sure this is one internet term that’s not going away anytime soon.
0 User Comments